- MEDICINE ATHENS MED4WOMAN ATHENS
- MEDICINE VOLOS MED4WOMAN VOLOS
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Obstetrician Gynaecologist
Doctor of Medicine, University of Athens Medical School
Panagiotis Polyzos, Gynaecologist Obstetrician, is active at the Institute of Life - IVF Unit of Iaso Maternity Hospital.
The third baby has been born using the medical technique of Maternal Spindle Transfer (MST), as part of the clinical research conducted by the scientific team of Institute of Life and Embryotools in Greece. This clinical study investigates MST as a potential treatment for infertility problems caused by cytoplasmic dysfunction in oocytes, as well as for the prevention of serious mitochondrial inherited diseases.
The baby was born on May 28, 2020, at 7:50 a.m. at IASO Clinic to a Greek woman with a history of multiple failed assisted reproduction attempts. Both the mother and the newborn are in excellent health.
The attending obstetrician and gynecologic surgeon, Dr. Panagiotis Polyzos, stated: “This is the happiest outcome of an extremely complex medical case, as this woman had never previously managed, despite numerous in vitro fertilization (IVF) is neededto have her embryos reach the blastocyst stage.”
Dr. Nuno Costa-Borges, co-founder of Embryotools, and Mr. Eros Nikitos, director of the Embryology Laboratory at Institute of Life – IASO, emphasized in a joint statement: “This is a very significant moment for our clinical research. In this case, the oocytes retrieved for fertilization were divided into two groups. Maternal Spindle Transfer was applied to half of them, while the remaining ones were fertilized without the technique. The outcome fully confirmed our high expectations for this clinical study: Four oocytes treated with MST were successfully fertilized and reached the blastocyst stage, whereas none of the oocytes fertilized without MST reached that same stage. Following the transfer of one blastocyst, pregnancy was achieved and resulted in the birth of a healthy baby. Important scientific publications regarding the latest data from our research will be released soon.”
It is worth noting that the first two births within this clinical study using Maternal Spindle Transfer took place in Greece, carried out by the Institute of Life and Embryotools scientific team in April and November 2019.
The babies, currently thirteen and seven months old, are being closely monitored according to the clinical research protocol and are in perfect health.
It is noted that the clinical research on the Maternal Spindle Transfer (MST) method involves mitochondrial replacement in human oocytes, while preserving the complete genetic material of the woman wishing to conceive. Within this clinical study, conducted by Institute of Life in collaboration with Embryotools, the scientific team is investigating the potential of MST to address infertility issues in women with recurrent IVF failures due to cytoplasmic dysfunction in oocytes, as well as the potential to prevent the transmission of serious mitochondrial diseases.
The births of children through the MST method are taking place under an ongoing research protocol, part of a clinical study that leads to pregnancy and is conducted in accordance with the terms and conditions of Greek Law 3305/2005. Based on current scientific evidence, Maternal Spindle Transfer is not yet considered an established infertility treatment, nor is it recognized as a standard method of medically assisted reproduction.
